District attorney defends pace of Nolan Wells death investigation
Wells' mother also appeared to address public interest in a social media post.
The district attorney overseeing the investigation into the death of Mississippi teenager Nolan Wells is urging patience as authorities continue their work, saying investigators must protect the integrity of the case despite "the public's urgency to know what happened."
Jackson County District Attorney Angel Myers McIlrath addressed the investigation in a social media post Thursday, saying she understands the community's desire for answers but that officials must allow the investigation to run its course.
"Our community is grieving the loss of Nolan Wells," she wrote. "Nolan's family deserves answers and our community deserves answers."
McIlrath said the case is following the same grand jury process used in other death investigations.
"Nolan's case is being handled the same way with the same care and the same commitment to the truth that we handle all death investigations," she said. "I understand the public's urgency to know what happened to Nolan, but we are not taking time for time's sake, we are taking the time required to complete the work this investigation demands."
She said investigators must thoroughly examine all available evidence before reaching any conclusions.
"Every piece of evidence must be examined, every credible lead must be followed to its conclusion, every witness interview must be analyzed in context of all other evidence. The pressure for answers does not change what the work requires," McIlrath said.
McIlrath also addressed questions about why authorities have released little information publicly, saying the decision is intended to protect the integrity of the investigation rather than withhold information.
"As divided as the discussion surrounding Nolan's death has become, I know we all want the same thing -- to understand what happened to Nolan," she continued. "With that being our shared goal, we must also share in the goal of protecting the integrity of how the truth is discovered."
Wells' mother, Christine Wonsley, appeared to address the public interest in the case and questions surrounding it in a Facebook post on Friday morning.
"People are focused on everything else but the original question which is WHAT HAPPENED TO OUR SON NOLAN WELLS! Please start asking that question," she wrote.
Wonsley has been posting about the public backlash that the family say they are experiencing as they advocate for their son's case.
"My strength comes from the Lord above. I DO NOT HAVE THE LUXURY OF FALLING APART," she wrote on Wednesday. "I have to keep advocating for my son who is no longer here. Don't mistake me not crying and hollering as me not grieving."
Wells went missing on the 4th of July after going on a boat trip with friends to Horn Island, according to authorities. It appears Wells stayed behind on the island after his friends left, officials said.
The college football player's body was recovered on July 6, and authorities said they suspect Wells drowned. Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter said there was no initial indication of a crime, but he stressed that investigators are "working diligently to determine exactly what occurred."
A private autopsy preliminarily found that Mississippi teenager Nolan Wells' cause and manner of death are "undetermined pending investigation," with the independent pathologist acknowledging multiple limitations in the report, family attorney Ben Crump announced Wednesday, as the investigation into the 18-year-old's death continues.
ABC News' Sabina Ghebremedhin contributed to this report.
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